The invention relates to a switchable valve train element, in particular a switchable valve train element, such as a tappet in a tappet-push rod valve train, with a cylindrical housing that can be arranged so that it oscillates via its outer casing in a guide on the side of the internal combustion engine, and a borehole with an inner element, which can move axially relative to this borehole and which can be coupled selectively with the housing by a coupling slide for achieving a large valve stroke, wherein when decoupled, preferably a zero valve stroke is generated.
Such switchable valve train elements are sufficiently well known to those skilled in the art. For example, if several identically acting gas-exchange valves for each cylinder are to be deactivated, then in the state of the art a switchable tappet is provided for each tappet push rod. Consequently, each tappet requires a separate guide with separate hydraulic medium supply. In addition, the camshaft for each tappet must have a raised cam section. Thus, the construction named above is rather complicated and unnecessarily requires a lot of installation space, as well as assembly expense.